PIGMENTED BACTERIA

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30044, 31 January 1963, Page 13

PIGMENTED BACTERIA

Stratospheric

Find

(NX. Press Asm.—Copyright) WASHINGTON, January 29.

Scientists found a cloud of living organisms 45,000 ft to 65,00 Mt above the earth last July. A research balloon flown from Minneapolis under a Notional Aeronautics and Space Administration programme captured about 20,000 "viable” organisms, mostly yeltow and orange bacteria and some pigmented mreridg and yeasts.

The experiment wee repeated in October but only about 100 organtans were found, the “New York Times” news service reported today. The discovery wes mentfoned yesterday in the 1962 report on apace and aeronautics acflvitieß by Freddent Kennedy. It was expanded upon by NASA officials. Dr. freeman Quimby, chief of exobiology in office of space sciences, said the organisms were from earth, presumably carried atoft up up-draughts and distributed by winds. What was surprising wes the large number, their type and their altitude. The My baboon pamrd through a mass of warm air which had been Mown inland from the Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Quimby said. The October flight sampled air from the Artec regions. "We flunk it may bo rigniflcant that the organisms wore pigmented," he said. Their colouration apparently allowed them to surrivette killing miie vjulet tape from the mm in the stratosphere.